The Human Brain vs. Artificial Intelligence

While artificial intelligence is currently the hot topic in the field of neuroscience, AI technology is very different from the human brain. The brain is the controlling organ of the body, keeping all systems up and running and a healthy brain is apparently a powerhouse of ability. The goal of some AI projects is to be able to complete tasks faster and more efficiently than a human brain, but so far, that's not been fully accomplished. The mind, even though it weighs only about three pounds, versus robots and machines that can take up entire rooms, is still a powerhouse of computing and performance.

Speed is the name of the game in AI. While the worlds most sophisticated supercomputer has the ability to crunch data at the speed of 93 petaflops (that's 93 quadrillions) computations per second. It doesn't seem like anything could be faster than that, but the brain is. The body's own supercomputer is far more energy efficient as well, doing all of its work on roughly 20 watts of energy. That's about what a light bulb uses. Supercomputers can require the energy equal to about 750,000 light bulbs.

I'm a writer living in the Boston area. My interests include cancer research, cardiology and neuroscience. I want to be part of using the Internet and social media to educate professionals and patients in a collaborative environment.